Fujifilm has a new Instax camera that can print videos

Fujifilm has just dropped the Instax Mini Evo Cinema and this thing is weird in a wonderful way. It’s essentially a hybrid instant camera that shoots video, which sounds impossible until you realise how they’ve pulled it off.

Fujifilm’s Instax Evo Cinema prints videos via QR codes

Basically, you record short video clips by holding down the shutter button, pausing whenever you want, until you’ve captured up to 15 seconds of footage. Then the camera prints out an instant photo with a still from your video and a QR code slapped on there. Scan that with your phone, and boom, you’re watching the full clip on a webpage. Fujifilm’s calling this the ability to “hand over a video”.

Of course, the device being Fujifilm, carries a retro design. For instance, the vertical grip style is actually a callback to Fujifilm’s FUJICA Single-8 from 1965. This was this little 8mm home movie camera that made shooting video accessible back when that was still a novel concept.

Another cool feature here is something Fujifilm calls the “Eras Dial”. This dial cycles through 10 different visual effects inspired by specific decades. These include anything from the three-colour film look of the 1940s to that distinct colour CRT television vibe from the 1970s. There’s even one that mimics those smartphone photo-editing apps from the early 2010s.

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Each effect has 10 intensity levels, so you’re looking at 100 different combinations to mess around with. The audio gets processed with era-appropriate treatment too, and some settings even play sounds like film reels whirring while you shoot.

Finally, there’s a dedicated app that lets you combine multiple clips into 30-second videos, add cinematic intros and outros, and design your prints with movie poster templates.

The Instax Mini Evo Cinema launches in Japan on 30 January with no word yet on international availability or pricing, so stay tuned for word on the Indian launch.